Brandon Mitchell, a 10-year-old student at Gander Academy, received a Rescuer Award today from the Canadian Red Cross for quick action to save his younger sister, Kendra-Lynn, in early April after she fell through harbour ice near Newtown, Bonavista Bay.
Newtown is about 130 kilometres northeast of Gander.
According to a news release, Brandon is a member of the school's Red Cross Youth group, which learns about issues like first aid, humanitarian work, anti-bullying, and water and ice safety. He says he remembered learning about ways to reach out to someone in the water and the importance of getting them out quickly and calling for help. Brandon sent his brother, Cody, to alert his mother and get help.
"What we really hope to achieve with a Rescuer Award in this case is to acknowledge Brendon's life-saving action but also stress to all students at his school the importance of making safety paramount whenever playing in or near water or venturing onto ice, and the value of water safety training," said Wayne Young, the director of injury prevention in Atlantic Canada with the Canadian Red Cross.
The presentation was be made at 1:30 p.m. today during an assembly at the school, with Red Cross staff and volunteers from Gander, as well as Brandon and members of his family.